Urbanworld 2017 Delights in its 21st Year + Full List of Awards by Amber Magruder

September 27, 2017

This past weekend marked the 21st annual Urbanworld Festival founded in 1997 by Stacy Spikes, this celebration of digital, film and music, is one of the most unique international festivals of its kind.

The opening night did not disappoint as the festival premiered an episode from BETs Tales, titled Trap Queen, featuring Lance Gross, Michelle Mitchenor and Woody McCain. Like previous episodes, this episode focused on the directors interpretation of hip-hop hit, “Trap Queen” by Fetty Wap. Earlier in the day, festival goers were treated to an array of panels on distribution, storytelling and virtual reality among other topics at Urbanworld Digital.

On Friday night, the vibe of the crowd was intense with anticipation for the premiere of Double Play, a beautiful and dramatic film set in the paradise that is Curacao. The red carpet was bright with star wattage from the films actors. Most notably, the films lead, Saycon Sengbloh, who admitted to stalking the director, Ernest R. Dickerson, for an audition during the Q & A after the film.

On Saturday, New York City once again came out in full force to support a vast array of narrative, documentary, and animated shorts. Based on the applause in the movie theater, it was evident that there were some anticipated favorites. Those included: Mosiquito: Bite of Passage, Waiting for Hassana, and The Tale of Four.

Beyond the movies, the most exciting aspect of the festival was the opportunity to interact with cast and directors during Q & As after the screenings. Gabourey Sidibe and Nelson George provided thought-provoking insight to their shorts, TheTale of Four and Dayton Jones, respectively.

As the festival wound to a close, on Saturday, the red carpet was once again on fire with the arrival of Chadwick Boseman and Sterling K. Brown for the premiere of Marshall, a drama focused on the case that defined the career of Thurgood Marshall. Questions and congratulations peppered the crowd as fans tried to get just a glimpse of Brown entering the theater.

Overall, the festival was a success. As an attendee, I will be following the careers of these fine directors as they have set the bar for what all moviemakers should aspire.

Audience Awards

Best Feature  Shine  Directed by Anthony Nardolillo
Best Short  The Tale of Four – Directed by Gabourey Sidibe

Amber Magruder was raised in a house filled with ZZ Hill, Phoebe Snow and Stevie Wonder. A wild child of the 90s, she found her true love in hip-hop with the Native Tongue movement, and never left its side. A die hard House Head from the South Side of Chicago, she loves a solid beat, but appreciates intense lyrics even more. Some of her favorite artists: NERD, Bebel Gilberto, and Bjork. Check out some of her work for soulhead.